Frozen Heart
by MissXenonious90
Summary: My First Story. Twilight Sparkle has fallen fatally ill with an unknown cause. Can she survive with the help of her friends?
1. Chapter 1

**MLP:FIM Hasbro **

**I don't own anything.**

"Twilight! Please, Twilight, open the door!"

Spike was desperately pounding the library's door, but no answer could be heard.

"I don't know what has happened, but it can't be that bad!" Spike said.

Inside the library, Twilight was lying down on her bed, crying and breathing heavily.

Right then, Rainbow Dash landed behind Spike. "What's wrong, Spike?"

Spike turned around to see Rainbow Dash. "Twilight has locked herself inside and she won't let me in."

"Hold on a moment. I'll check it out." Rainbow Dash flew to the window that was just above Twilight's bed. She looked inside and saw Twilight on the bed, not moving at all and her eyes were closed.

She then saw them. Tears sparkling and running down Twilight's cheeks. Rainbow Dash knocked on the window. "Twilight! Twilight!"

Twilight didn't move or answer. Instead she made her unicorn horn glow and suddenly a small part of the window in front of Rainbow Dash cracked up.

"Twilight?" Rainbow Dash said as she noticed the window cracking up. "Twilight, what's wrong?"

Twilight still didn't answer or move. This made Rainbow Dash worried as she went back to Spike.

"Something is definitively not right." Rainbow Dash said to Spike. "She's not responding at all. Spike, we have to break the door. Stand back!"

Before Spike could respond, Rainbow Dash went and bucked the door with her hind legs, breaking the door open. They both quickly went inside and checked on Twilight. Rainbow Dash touched Twilight's forehead, but quickly removed her hoof away.

"By Celestia, she's burning up!" Rainbow Dash said alarmingly as she turned to Spike. "Spike, stay here and watch over her while I get the nurse.

As soon as Rainbow Dash flew quickly out of the library, Spike looked at Twilight, who looked like she was in pain, highly worried. "Twilight…"

*My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic opening*

The nurse pony examined Twilight, while Spike and Rainbow Dash waited impatiently downstairs. When the nurse pony tried to feel Twilight's pulse and listen to her heartbeats, her expression showed confusion.

"How is she, nurse?" Rainbow Dash asked.

The nurse looked at Rainbow Dash and saddened. "I'm afraid I have no idea what's wrong with her. She has a very high fever. Quite a lethal one, in fact. Furthermore, her pulse is weak and her heart is beating very irregularly. I've never encountered or heard of anything like this."

"Is… is she gonna die?" Spike managed to ask, tears nearly forming in his eyes.

The nurse shook her head. "I honestly don't know. But in any case, I don't think I have any means to cure her. At least not until I know exactly what's wrong with her and there's no way for us to move her to the clinic. Not with that kind of a fever." The nurse pony lowered her head. "I'm sorry, Spike."

Both Rainbow Dash and Spike couldn't say anything as the nurse pony sadly left the library.

"What do we do now?" Spike asked, tears now forming in his eyes as he looked at Rainbow Dash. "Twilight is going to die!"

Rainbow Dash tried to think. Wasn't there truly any way to help Twilight? Then she had a thought and she looked at Spike. "What about Zecora?"

Spike shook his head. "She's not at her house and she won't return for two whole days."

Rainbow Dash looked at Twilight. "I don't think we have that much time, Spike."

Twilight suddenly tensed up and gritted her teeth as she shed a new wave of tears.

"She's in so much pain, that even I can feel it." Rainbow Dash said as she went closer to Twilight. When she was right next to her, Rainbow Dash began to shed tears of her own. "Please, Twilight. Please tell me what's wrong."

Right then Twilight's horn began to glow weakly. Both Rainbow Dash and Spike heard something dropping and as Spike turned around, he saw a red book on the floor.

Upon closer look, Spike managed to read the title. "The Elements of Harmony: A Reference Guide?"

Rainbow Dash went wide eyed upon hearing the title. She looked at Twilight then, seeing that glow had faded from the horn. "Could it be…?" After a few seconds, Rainbow Dash's sadness changed into determination as she turned to see Spike. "Spike, write a letter to Princess Celestia! Tell her about Twilight and ask her to come here along with the Elements of Harmony as soon as possible."

Spike looked at Rainbow Dash for a while before nodding and running to get a scroll and a quill.

"I'll go and get the others here in the meantime." Rainbow Dash said as she flew out of the library.

At the royal palace of Canterlot, Princess Celestia was at her throne room, watching out of a window as some dark clouds began to form in the skies. She heard someone behind her and as she turned around she saw her sister, Princess Luna.

"My dear sister, shouldn't you be resting?" Princess Celestia asked, kindly smiling. "Night is still hours away."

"I can't sleep." Princess Luna said, a hint of worry in her voice. "There's something in the air that feels different today."

Princess Celestia turned to look outside again in wonder. "Something different?" She closed her eyes as she seemed to concentrate. However, her concentration was soon broken by a sudden appearance of a scroll. As Princess Celestia looked at it, she noticed the "urgent" marking on the seal.

"Another letter from your dear student?" Princess Luna asked.

"Yes, but it's way too early and this one is marked as 'urgent'" Princess Celestia said as she opened the scroll and read the message. Very soon her face turned pale as she kept reading.

Princess Luna noticed this and got worried. "What's wrong, dear sister?"

"It's from Spike." Princess Celestia said as she turned to look at Princess Luna sadly. "Twilight is…" she trailed off as her expression changed to serious one. "There's no time to lose. My dear sister, please go and tell the guards to prepare the chariot." She began to run out of the throne room. "I'm also going to need you to come with me."

Princess Luna watched as Princess Celestia ran out of the throne room in a hurry. "Dear sister, what has happened!?" She began to run after her sister. She had never seen her sister so sad or so serious before. Not even during their first battle against Discord.

After sending the letter to Princess Celestia, Spike went back to Twilight with a bucket of water and a small white rag. He drenched the rag in the water and squeezed all the extra water out before placing the rag on Twilight's forehead. He could see how the water practically turned to steam almost immediately.

Soon Rainbow Dash came back with Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy right behind her. All of them looked very worried, including usually happy and cheery Pinkie Pie.

"How is she, Spike?" Rainbow Dash asked as all five of them came upstairs.

Spike shook his head sadly. "I think she's getting worse."

Twilight's breathing did seem heavier than before. Before anyone could say anything, Twilight tensed up again and gritted her teeth hard, making other ponies lift one of their hooves up in fear.

Fluttershy was the first to go and touch Twilight by holding one of her hooves, almost crying.

"Spike, how long has she been like this?" Rarity asked.

"Most probably since early morning." Spike said. "I was going to buy some scrolls from the shop when I noticed Twilight still being in bed. Thinking nothing of it, I went out. When I returned and opened the door, Twilight suddenly closed it and locked it up. I thought she was mad at me for something."

"Now why would she do that?" Applejack wondered.

"Who cares?" Pinkie Pie said, her voice being surprisingly serious. "What matters is that we have to somehow cure Twilight."

During this, Fluttershy was trying to feel for Twilight's pulse.

"An' exactly how are we goin' to do that, sugarcube?" Applejack asked. "Zecora is away an' the nurse can't help us."

Fluttershy gasped. "Her pulse is weakening, girls. At this rate…" She trailed off.

Others looked at Fluttershy and saddened. They were losing Twilight.

Rainbow Dash looked at Spike. "Did you send a letter to Princess Celestia?"

Right then they all heard a chariot landing in front of the library.

"I sure did." Spike said as others ran downstairs.

They all saw Princess Celestia and Princess Luna coming in and bowed their heads.

"No need to be so formal, my little ponies." Princess Celestia said. "The letter said Twilight has fallen fatally ill." She looked up and saw Twilight.

The ponies raised their heads. Princess Celestia was carrying a jeweled case with her magic. The other ponies knew immediately what it was and what was inside it.

"How is she, Rainbow Dash?" Princess Celestia asked.

Rainbow Dash sadly shook her head. "She seems to be getting worse by the minute."

Both Princess Celestia and Princess Luna flew up next to Twilight and looked at her.

"Dear sister…" Princess Luna said, her eyes widening as she looked at Twilight. "I can feel she's in excruciating pain without even touching her."

"Indeed." Princess Celestia said. "She's struggling for her life. This is no ordinary sickness. Even her magic feels much weaker than usual." She turned to see Rainbow Dash. "I understand you were the one who asked me to bring the Elements of Harmony, Rainbow Dash? May I ask why?"

"It's because Twilight used her magic and managed to draw the book about the Elements of Harmony." Rainbow Dash said.

Princess Celestia looked serious. "That is not possible, Rainbow Dash. When a unicorn is ill, especially like this, they cannot use their magic properly."

"But in that case, dear sister, how is it possible that Twilight Sparkle's horn is glowing?" Princess Luna asked.

Indeed, Twilight's horn had begun to glow again, weaker than before as Rainbow Dash noticed. Suddenly Princess Celestia felt the case she was carrying with her magic move. The case floated towards Twilight and stopped right above her.

It was then Princess Celestia understood. "This isn't Twilight's magic."

"What?" All the other ponies and Spike said.

"Something else is causing her magic to work like this." Princess Celestia said. "Her magic is weakening so this shouldn't be possible at all and yet she is able to use her magic almost flawlessly AND pull the case that contains the Elements of Harmony from my grasp."

"Are you sayin' there's somethin' living inside Twilight?" Applejack asked.

Princess Celestia shook her head. "I wouldn't exactly say 'living', dear Applejack. It's her element, Magic, that's doing all the magic now."

"How is that possible, dear sister?" Princess Luna asked. "The Elements of Harmony never did anything like that when we had them."

"We've never fallen ill before, dear sister." Princess Celestia said. "It is possible, that the spirit of the Element of Magic is trying to keep Twilight alive since she is the one carrying it inside her. But since Twilight's magic is getting weaker, the spirit of Magic can't do it for long anymore and so it is asking for help. It would explain how Twilight was able to move that book about the Elements of Harmony."

"But what can we do then?" Rarity asked.

Princess Celestia looked at the jeweled case and opened it with her magic, revealing five golden necklaces with jewels of different colors in the center and one golden crown with a large purple star-shaped jewel in the center, and took them out.

"Since it is the spirit of Magic that's asking for help, you are the only ones that can do this." Princess Celestia said. "The spirits of the elements you five are carrying will enable you to help Twilight, just like you all did during the Nightmare Moon incident."

Princess Luna saddened at the mention of Nightmare Moon.

Princess Celestia noticed this and saddened. "I'm sorry, dear sister. I know you want to forget the whole thing."

"It's okay." Princess Luna said, sighing. "I will carry that painful memory with me forever."

Princess Celestia gave a quick smile, before looking at Twilight again. "We better hurry then. Would you be so kind, dear sister, and move Twilight downstairs to the center of the room?"

Princess Luna nodded and surrounded Twilight with dark blue glow, lifting her up. Right after that the glow on Twilight's horn faded, releasing the jeweled case. Princess Luna carried Twilight and lowered her to where Princess Celestia had said, noticing at the same time that Twilight's body felt both weak and lighter than it should.

After Princess Luna had put Twilight on the floor, Princess Celestia landed right next to Twilight as Princess Luna walked to the opposite side. The other ponies followed them and surrounded them, forming a pentagonal shape around the two princesses and Twilight. Spike came down too, not once taking his eyes off of Twilight. Outside, the day had darkened as storm clouds had formed above Ponyville. It began to rain.

"Umm… so what are we supposed to do exactly?" Fluttershy asked.

"You silly filly." Pinkie Pie said uncharacteristically quiet. "We're going to save Twilight."

"I know that, but how are we supposed to do that?" Fluttershy said.

Princess Celestia looked at Fluttershy and then all the other ponies. "Well, like I said, only the five of you can do it and with the Elements of Harmony with you, you can actually talk to the Element of Magic."

"Talk to it?" Rainbow Dash wondered.

"Yes." Princess Celestia said. "The Elements of Harmony are a part of you even without these, because you have their spirits." She looked at the five necklaces and the crown. "In other words, part of Twilight resides with the spirit of the Element of Magic."

"So it should be like we're talkin' to Twilight then." Applejack said.

Pinkie Pie's usual smile was returning upon hearing this. "Yay! We can then ask what's wrong and help Twilight."

Princess Celestia nodded. "That's right, Pinkie Pie. That's what you have to do." She made the five necklaces float towards their respective owners. "The Element of Honesty…," The necklace with an orange apple-shaped jewel was equipped to Applejack. "… the Element of Generosity…," The necklace with a purple diamond-shaped jewel was equipped to Rarity. "… the Element of Kindness…," The necklace with a pink butterfly-shaped jewel was equipped to Fluttershy. "… the Element of Laughter…" The necklace with a blue balloon-shaped jewel was equipped to Pinkie Pie. "… and the Element of Loyalty." The necklace with a red lightning-shaped jewel was equipped to Rainbow Dash. Princess Celestia looked at the crown and saddened. "I will trust the life of my faithful student, Twilight Sparkle's life, to you. Once I equip this to Twilight, you will most likely lose your consciousness as the Element of Magic draws your spirits inside Twilight's mind along with your elements and collapse here. When you'll wake up, you will be inside Twilight Sparkle's mind."

"Sounds scary." Fluttershy managed to say.

"Well, of course it is scary, darling." Rarity said. "We won't have any idea what we'll be facing."

"It doesn't matter now, does it?" Rainbow Dash said, her eyes looking serious and determined. "I mean this is Twilight we're talking about. The smartest unicorn in Ponyville, in all of Equestria, and our friend. No matter what obstacles we'll face, we'll overcome them and save Twilight."

This made all the other ponies smile and determination could be seen in their eyes. Even within Fluttershy's eyes. Before they even realized it, all of their fears vanished.

"Pardon me, Princess Celestia, but what can I do to help?" Spike asked, not wanting to be left out.

"Me and my dear sister will watch over Twilight and try to keep her alive, buy her time." Princess Celestia said. "I will need you, Spike, to watch over the others and take care of them."

"You can count on me!" Spike said, saluting at Princess Celestia.

"Oh, this is getting exciting!" Pinkie Pie said, now with her usual cheery voice. "Let's do this!"

Princess Celestia closed her eyes. "Thank you, my little ponies."

As Princess Celestia lowered the crown to Twilight's head, Princess Luna could swear she saw her dear sister shedding tears. She could tell Twilight Sparkle was important to her. Almost as if Twilight was her foal.

Right after the crown was placed on Twilight's head, Twilight tensed up and was trying to scream as if she was feeling unbearable pain, but nothing could be heard.

"Hold on, sugarcube." Applejack said to Twilight. "We're comin'."

Right then Twilight's eyes opened up, shining white, and covered the whole room in a blinding light. After a while the light faded. Spike had covered his eyes, but Princess Celestia and Princess Luna hadn't moved an inch. Around them, the five ponies had collapsed on the floor.

"Good luck, my little ponies." Princess Celestia said with a hint of worry in her voice.

Rainbow Dash opened her eyes slowly, feeling a slight headache. Soon she wondered if her eyes truly were open. All she saw was darkness.

"Ugh… where am I?" Rainbow Dash wondered, but then gasped as she looked around. "Where are the others?"

"Right here, sugarcube."

Rainbow Dash turned around and saw Applejack standing there. Behind her were Rarity, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy.

"Everypony alright?" Applejack asked, looking at Rarity.

"I think we're all fine, darling." Rarity said.

Fluttershy was shivering. "Umm… where are we?"

"Well, this should be Twilight's mind." Rainbow Dash said.

"It's so dark and scary." Fluttershy said.

"Gotta admit she's right." Applejack said. "It feels mighty strange here, don'cha think?"

"Yeah, I actually thought we'd… meet the Element of Magic right away." Rainbow Dash said.

"I wonder if something happened." Rarity wondered.

"Don't know." Pinkie Pie said. "Anypony know where we should go now?"

Everyone looked around them, seeing nothing but darkness around them.

"This is just great." Rainbow Dash said, getting a bit angry. "We just came here and we're already failing."

"We ain't gonna give up that easily now." Applejack said. She looked at her necklace. "Maybe the Elements can do something to help us find the Element of Magic."

"And just how do you suppose the Elements can do that?" Rarity asked.

"Maybe like this." Pinkie Pie said and just stood there happily with a goofy smile and her eyes closed.

"Um, Pinkie Pie, what are you doing?" Rainbow Dash asked, thinking Pinkie Pie looked so silly now.

Suddenly Pinkie Pie's necklace jewel began to shine. The other ponies watched, wide eyed, as a blue balloon-shaped light shot out of the necklace, disappearing into the darkness. Rainbow Dash and Applejack looked at each other just as Rarity looked at Fluttershy and then they all smiled. What Pinkie Pie just did was the same thing they had all done during their battle with Discord.

"Pinkie Pie, you're a genius." Rainbow Dash said while walking right next to Pinkie Pie and facing the same direction as her.

"No I'm not. I'm a pony."

"A'right! Let's do this!" Applejack said as she closed her eyes too

Rainbow Dash, Rarity and Fluttershy did the same thing. Soon all of their necklaces shone brightly and shot out a beam of light at the same direction as the first one. Soon a single light shone in the darkness.

"I bet that's where we'll find the Element of Magic." Rainbow Dash said.

"Then let's hop to it." Pinkie Pie said as she began happily hopping towards the single light, others following behind her.

"How are they, Spike?" Princess Celestia asked.

Spike was checking on other ponies while the two princesses concentrated on Twilight. "All five seem to be doing fine."

Princess Luna was breaking a sweat while she concentrated her magic at Twilight, who was glowing in a mixture of dark blue and white light. "Dear sister, I do not know how much longer I can keep this up. Twilight Sparkle's body feels like it has shattered into many pieces and the fever feels like it's rising. If it rises any more, I don't know if she can survive it."

"She can, dear sister." Princess Celestia said. "She can and she will with our help." But upon looking at Twilight's face, Princess Celestia looked worried. Twilight's breathing had slowed down and she was beginning to look like she was on fire. Princess Celestia bit her lower lip. "She will… survive this."

"How much longer do we have to go?" Rarity asked. "It feels like we've been walking on forever."

"Quit complainin', Rarity." Applejack said. "Y'all can see we're getting closer."

"It feels funny hopping inside Twilight's mind." Pinkie Pie said. "I wonder if she feels us."

"I hope she doesn't." Rainbow Dash said. "I wouldn't want her fever to get any higher than it already is."

"Speakin' of which, anypony else feel it's getting' mighty cold in here?" Applejack asked.

"Yeah, I can feel it." Rainbow Dash said as she looked behind her, looking at Fluttershy.

Fluttershy was practically freezing despite being a pegasus pony. Either that or she was just scared.

"This doesn't make sense." Rarity said, shivering a bit. "How can it feel so cold in here? Oh, I knew I should have taken a scarf with me."

"Can it, sugarcube and keep goin'." Applejack said.

"Actually, umm, I think Rarity is right." Fluttershy said. "It shouldn't be this cold in here."

"How would you know that, Fluttershy?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"I don't." Fluttershy said. "But why would it suddenly be cold in here while just a moment ago it felt normal?"

Pinkie Pie suddenly stopped on her tracks, stopping everyone else in the process, and looked at her tail. It was twitching. "Girls, something is about to fall."

"What?" Applejack asked. "How's that even possible? We're inside Twilight's mind."

"Don't know, but my tail's twitching." Pinkie Pie said.

Everyone looked at each other for a while and then they all looked up.

Right then, they felt like a blizzard hit them as a strong wind separated them from each other. From above them, a shiny light blue crystal shaped like a star landed in front of them. All five got up quickly.

"What happened?" Rarity asked.

"I think THAT happened." Rainbow Dash said, pointing at the crystal.

"What is that thingy." Applejack asked.

Rainbow Dash slowly approached the crystal. Something caught her eyes as the shining dimmed a little. She looked at the center of the crystal and gasped.

"Twilight!?" Rainbow Dash yelled.

Now that the shining had dimmed more, all five of them saw Twilight Sparkle inside the crystal, not moving at all in the middle of the air, her eyes closed. They all approached the crystal.

Fluttershy shuddered at the sight. "Is she… … is she…?"

No one answered her obvious question as they were all clueless.

"We have to get her out of there!" Rainbow Dash said.

"Ah don't think it'll be that easy, Rainbow." Applejack said. "Just look at that thing. It's huge."

"We can't just leave her there!" Rainbow Dash said.

Suddenly they all heard a familiar voice all around them.

"You do not belong here. Be gone and never bother me again."

Right then another blizzard hit all of them, much stronger one this time, surprising them and causing them all to fly at different directions, disappearing into the darkness in a purple flash, screaming in pain.

The two princesses had their share of trouble. Not only was Princess Luna starting to sweat, Princess Celestia was also starting sweat as they both tried to heal Twilight.

"Dear sister…" Princess Luna said, her voice sounding weak.

"Concentrate, my dear sister!" Princess Celestia said, her voice sounding desperate. "I will not give up! We have to buy the others more time."

Suddenly they both heard a loud gasp.

"What is it, Spike?" Princess Celestia asked without taking her eyes off of Twilight.

"Everypony's temperature just dropped!" Spike yelled. "They all feel so cold."

Princess Celestia's eyes widened and she stopped what she was doing as a thunder suddenly stroke outside.

Princess Luna looked at her sister sadly. "My dear sister… are they…?"

Princess Celestia didn't answer. Instead she looked at Twilight, who was shedding another wave of tears and breathing deeply, with sorrowful eyes. "Twilight…"

**~~To Be Continued~~**


	2. Chapter 2

**My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Hasbro**

**I don't own Anything.**

Princess Celestia looked at the five ponies that had collapsed on the floor around her, her sister Princess Luna and Twilight. For a moment it seemed Princess Celestia was about to burst into tears.

Spike was trying to warm up Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash by putting blankets on them, but upon feeling Rainbow Dash's forehead, Spike shook his head and looked at Princess Celestia as a lightning struck outside and rain was hitting the windows of the library.

"It's no use." Spike said, desperately trying to rub the blankets against the five ponies. "I can't seem to get them warmer."

Princess Luna looked at her sister. "My dear sister… are they…?"

Princess Celestia shook her head. "No, I do not believe so. Something must have happened to them and whatever it is, their elements will protect them." She then looked at Twilight. "Let us continue what we started."

"But dear sister, there is only so much even we can do." Princess Luna said. "I am already almost at my limit."

"I know, my dear sister, and I won't force you to continue." Princess Celestia said. "But I will continue and try to buy everypony more time… even if I have to sacrifice my own life in doing so. I will do anything to save Twilight Sparkle."

Princess Luna could see it. She saw a mixture of sadness and determination on Princess Celestia's eyes.

"Try to keep them as warm as possible, Spike." Princess Celestia said.

Spike barely heard the order as he already was trying to do what she said.

As Princess Celestia lowered her head once more and touched Twilight's forehead with her horn, Princess Luna was worried about her sister.

"Is Twilight Sparkle really that important to you?" Princess Luna thought sadly as she joined her sister, lowered her head and touched Twilight's forehead with her horn too.

They both then wrapped Twilight in a mixture of dark blue and white light again.

In total darkness, a light blue pony with rainbow-colored mane and tail opened her eyes half-way slowly. Her body looked beaten and bruised.

"Where… am I?" Rainbow Dash wondered while trying to move, but found out she couldn't. Her body ached all over. "That… thing… attacked us and…" She tried to turn her head to see if anyone else was there, but saw no one. "Everypony's gone…" It was then she shed tears. "We've failed. I'm… sorry, Twilight. We failed you."

Rainbow Dash couldn't hear anything but her own sobbing as she began to feel like a traitor. She closed her eyes as tears went down her cheeks. "I wish I could do something, anything, to help. I'd… give anything to save my friends. I'd even give my life if I have to. Just… please… let me save… all of them. I don't want to go like this." She opened her eyes and noticed one single dot of light.

"Oh ponyfeathers…"

Applejack was in the same state as Rainbow Dash. She tried to force herself to stand up, but the pain she felt was too much.

"UGH!" Applejack winced. "Am Ah really this weak? Ah can't even save Twilight… or others for that matter." She tried to stand up again, but fell as one of her legs cracked. Applejack tried not to scream.

She was devastated. "Even if Ah were able to continue, Ah can't do this. Ah need them... Ah need my friends."

Suddenly she saw a single dot of light in front of her.

Rarity was sobbing as she saw what state she was in. Her mane was a mess.

"This… can't be happening." Rarity said as she kept sobbing. "There was so much I wanted to do with my life. The dreams I have…and all the dresses I'd have made." Her mouth quivered at this. "All those times I'd have spent with my friends, Twilight and the others. The dresses I'd make for them… the happiness in them… and in every other customer."

Through her teary eyes, she managed to see something shining in the distance.

"HahahOW!"

Pinkie Pie was weakly trying to laugh, but laughing seemed to hurt her chest.

"Well… it was fun while it lasted." Pinkie Pie said while trying to smile. "Sure would have wanted to throw at least one more party for everypony, Twilight included."

She suddenly saddened. "This… isn't… fun anymore… … Even that shiny dot sure feels strange…"

Fluttershy was in the worst state of them all. Not only was her body bruised all over, but she was bleeding from various cuts. Her wings were in odd positions and her eyes were wide open.

"Angel… my dear bunny…" She sobbed, her tears floating above her. "I'm so sorry… … I'm so sorry, everypony… I'm so sorry, Twilight. I wish I could tell you, in case you survive, that I'm not mad at you. I want you to know… that I… came here on my own will… to help you…"

A small single dot of light shone on Fluttershy as she looked at it. "… … Such a warm light…"

All five ponies looked at the single light, remembering why they were in this mess.

"Twilight…" All five ponies said at the same time.

Right then the jewels on their necklaces shone brightly and soon they were wrapped in a purple light and disappeared.

The dark area was filled with purple light and all five ponies appeared near each other, floating just like during their first use of the Elements of Harmony and forming a pentagonal shape. The brightness dimmed and slowly everyone opened their eyes, noticing each other first.

"Where… did you come from?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Ah don't know." Applejack said. "Ah thought ah was alone."

But Rarity was in shock. "By Celestia! Fluttershy, you're bleeding!"

The other three ponies looked at Fluttershy and would have been equally shocked if it wasn't for the fact that they were all in pain.

Fluttershy was silently crying, looking up. "Who… are you?"

The others wondered about the odd question. That was until Pinkie Pie looked up too.

"Hey look! A giant purple ball!" she said.

All the others now looked up too and saw a big purple sphere floating there.

"You have come at last."

The voice they heard surprised them and made them open their eyes fully. The voice was strange and yet very familiar to them.

"Twilight?" It was Fluttershy who spoke. "Is that you?"

From the center of the sphere, a shadow appeared and landed in the center of the group. The shadow revealed itself as the purple unicorn all five of the ponies knew, her eyes closed.

"It is you." Rarity said.

Twilight opened her eyes and looked at everyone. "Unfortunately I am not the one you call 'Twilight.' I am the spirit that resides within her. I am the spirit of Magic."

Disappointment could be seen on the five ponies' eyes.

"I knew you would come." The spirit of Magic said, her voice sounding exactly like Twilight's and yet so different. "I was hoping my request for help got noticed."

"So… it was you who called us." Rainbow Dash said.

"Yes." the spirit said. "I am now the only one keeping the mare called Twilight alive. Her magic has weakened to dangerous levels and soon I will be unable to help her."

"That is why we are here, darling." Rarity said. "We are here… to help our friend."

"Beggin' your pardon, but ain't no way we can… help Twilight anymore." Applejack said, looking at Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie. "With all the injuries we have, we can't do a thing."

The spirit of Magic looked at everyone, seeing their injuries and, to everyone's surprise, giggled.

"What's so funny?" Pinkie Pie wondered. "Did I miss a joke?"

"Silly me." the spirit said. "Here I am talking about why you are here without even first treating your wounds."

The form's, which was Twilight, horn began to glow a warm light.

Princess Celestia was struggling with all her might to keep Twilight's fever from going any higher.

Spike was trying to take care of the other five ponies, all of their bodies still feeling quite cold. "What in Equestria happened to you all? Please be safe in… huh?" Spike was trying to warm up Pinkie Pie when suddenly the latter one moved a bit. And within a few seconds so did the others.

Spike touched Pinkie's forehead and a smile came over his face. "Princess Celestia, I think they're OK. Their bodies are warming up a bit."

Princess Celestia was concentrating hard on treating Twilight, but she heard what Spike had said and smiled. She looked at her sister, who had her eyes closed.

"How are you holding up, my dear sister?" Princess Celestia asked.

There was no answer and when Princess Celestia looked at her sister more carefully, she noticed the light on Princess Luna's horn dimming.

A great fear suddenly swept Princess Celestia's heart. "Luna, are you okay?"

"… Nightmare…" was all Princess Luna could say. Right then she fell on the floor, the light on her horn now completely dimmed.

A lightning stroke outside.

"Luna!" Princess Celestia yelled. She turned to see Spike. "Spike, my sister needs help!"

"There you go. How are you all feeling now?" the spirit of Magic said as she rechecked on everyone.

All of the injuries on the five ponies were completely healed.

"Awww yeah!" Rainbow Dash yelled. "We're back in business."

"That was amazing." Rarity said. "I've never seen such magic before. Not even from Princess Celestia."

Fluttershy was still crying, but this time the tears she was shedding were happy ones. "Thank you."

"Don't mention it." the spirit said. "After all, you five are carrying the other Elements of Harmony. I just asked them to help me heal you all."

"As much as Ah'm happy to be OK, there's still the matter of Twilight." Applejack said.

All the other ponies looked at the spirit of Magic.

"Indeed." the spirit said. "As I was saying, the life of the mare called Twilight is slowly but surely ending."

"What's causing it?" Rainbow Dash asked. "Is it that… thing we encountered before?"

"That is the cause, indeed." the spirit said. "What you saw was this mare's heart all frozen by an outside force."

"What do y'all mean by an outside force'?" Applejack asked.

"Something invaded this mare's mind last night and literally dug up the most painful memory Twilight Sparkle has of her life and fed on it." the spirit said. "Soon after that it attacked her heart and trapped it inside that block of ice, slowly draining the life out of Twilight while making her see a nightmare over and over again, feeding on the pain it caused at the same time."

"That is simply horrible." Rarity said. "Twilight is suffering so much because of that."

"But what is it?" Fluttershy asked. "I've never heard of any sickness that does something like that."

"That is because this invader wants revenge." the spirit said.

"Revenge?" Rainbow Dash said. "You mean to say that that thing is alive?"

"Yes." the spirit said.

"Then who is it?" Applejack asked. "Who would want revenge on Twilight?"

"I can think of a few." Rainbow Dash said. "But they all are either those who couldn't have done this or those who are forever taken care of."

"What about the Great and Powerful Trixie?" Pinkie Pie suggested. "She would want revenge for the Ursa Minor incident."

"I do not think she would have the necessary skills to pull this off, darling." Rarity said.

"Well whoever it is, we have to defeat it or Twilight will die." Rainbow Dash said as she looked at the spirit of Magic. "Is there any way we can beat it?"

The spirit of Magic was quiet for a moment. "Without the sixth element that is me it will prove quite difficult to beat the invader. I cannot come with you or else we all risk of losing Twilight. That been said, all you need to do is free Twilight's heart. I can then heal her with the help of another mare that is trying to cure this mare with her magic."'

"Another mare?" Rarity wondered. "You must mean Princess Celestia."

"She is giving everything she can." the spirit said. "There was another power helping too, but recently that power disappeared."

"If that's the case, we need to hurry." Rainbow Dash said. "Time is running out. Can you tell us where that thing is right now?"

"The invader is still at the same place where you encountered it." the spirit said. "I can send you all near the invader. After that…" the spirit trailed off, but continued. "… after that the fate of Twilight Sparkle will be decided by you. I am sorry I cannot join the battle."

Rainbow Dash saluted. "It's okay. We won't fail!"

"Good luck, carriers of the Elements of Harmony." the spirit said as the purple pony, who looked like Twilight, glowed and in a blink of an eye, all five ponies had disappeared. The spirit of Magic saddened. Her voice changed then. "Please… help me…" The spirit of Magic then disappeared.

Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie appeared at the same time to the same darkness they had first encountered.

After looking around, Rainbow Dash looked confused. "That's strange. I don't see that thing anywhere."

"Maybe it moved somewhere else?" Applejack suggested.

"I hope not." Rarity said. "We will most certainly have hard time finding it again and we do not have time."

Suddenly Fluttershy began to shiver. "Uh, girls?" Others looked at Fluttershy now. "Are any of you feeling cold all of a sudden?"

"What are you talking about, Fluttershy?" Rainbow Dash wondered. "I don't feel…"

But right then they all could feel the "ground" shaking violently.

"What's goin' on?" Applejack asked while looking around. She then noticed something rising up near them. "Look!"

As they all looked at the source of the shaking, they saw the same thing they had seen before literally been wiped out. The intruder as the spirit of Magic had called it.

When the object stopped, all the ponies could once again see Twilight, rather her heart, trapped inside, her eyes closed and not moving at all.

"There it is!" Rainbow Dash said and then yelled at the object. "Who are you and why have you hurting Twilight?"

For a moment there was no answer. Then they heard that same familiar voice, laughing.

"You little foals! I AM Twilight Sparkle and I wish to be left alone." the voice said.

"That's a lie!" Applejack said. "Twilight would never hurt us."

"And we know you are the one hurting Twilight." Rarity said.

Fluttershy couldn't say anything. She was shivering, but it wasn't because of coldness. Pinkie Pie was looking at the intruder with angry eyes.

"Whoever you are, release her heart right this instant!" Rainbow Dash demanded.

"I guess you've found me out." the voice said. "I was hoping you all would JUST GIVE UP AND DIE!" the voice had changed into very different kind… and yet still somehow familiar.

Pinkie Pie's eyes widened. "Black Snooty? Is that you?"

Everyone looked at Pinkie Pie.

"Black Snooty?" Applejack said. "Who's that…" was all she managed to say before remembering and turning to see the intruder. "No! You can't be her. We defeated Nightmare Moon."

Rainbow Dash, Rarity and Fluttershy looked at the intruder now too, hoping it wasn't true.

"Nightmare Moon was just a name I took when possessing the one called Princess Luna." the intruder said. "Just call me Nightmare."

Knowing who they were up against now, Rainbow Dash was angry. "You monster! Release Twilight's heart and leave before we…"

"Before you what?" Nightmare interrupted. "Without the sixth element, you can't possibly hurt me in any way. This mare called Twilight Sparkle feeds me with her most terrible nightmare full of suffering and guilt. It is only fitting that she will suffer after what she, what you all, did to me before I'll kill her right in front of her mentor."

That was the last straw for Applejack as she started to run towards the block of ice. "Ain't no way we let y'all do that!"

"Wait, Applejack!" Rarity yelled, but it was too late.

Applejack turned around right next to the block of ice and bucked it hard with her hind legs, but right then she suddenly bounced and slid back to the others.

"I was going to tell you that she's using strong magic to shield herself." Rarity said.

"Thanks a bunch, Rarity." Applejack said.

"So how are we supposed to fight her then?" Pinkie Pie asked.

Before any of them could answer, they could hear Nightmare laughing. "Nice try. Now it's my turn!"

Before any of them could react, Nightmare unleashed yet another blizzard on them, just as strong and sharp as before. This time, however, the five ponies stood their ground and shielded their faces.

Rainbow Dash tried to open one of her eyes to see Fluttershy. Despite the thickness and, to Rainbow's surprise, sharpness of the blizzard, she could see just in how much pain the others were.

"We have to hold on!" Applejack yelled. "If we lose here, Twilight will die!"

Princess Celestia was sweating and breathing hard. She glimpsed at Spike who was coming down the stairs.

Spike, noticing Princess was looking at her, gave a weak smile. "She's going to be fine, Princess. She just used too much power in short time."

Princess Celestia didn't say anything and just continued her attempt to buy more time.

"How is she?" Spike asked.

Princess Celestia closed her eyes. "Not good, I'm afraid. I have tried everything I could think of, but nothing seems to be working as they should. It is as if something is blocking any healing attempts." Tears could be seen running down Princess' cheeks. "We are losing her slowly but steadily."

Spike had gone wide eyed. "No! That can't be true, Princess. Surely there's something we can still do."

Lightning struck outside as Princess Celestia looked at Twilight, who was looking eerily calm, with her tearful eyes. She could tell Twilight was still feeling so much pain. "I cannot do anything but buy her more time and even I am at my limit now. Healing magic is not exactly light, you know." She looked around her, seeing the other ponies lying on the floor, their expressions unreadable. "They do not have much time left. In a matter of minutes…"

Princess Celestia couldn't finish the sentence. Instead she fell down gently, her head falling on top of Twilight's body, and cried while her hair practically caressed Twilight's head. "Please, my faithful student, wake up…" She could hear almost non-existent breathing.

The five ponies hadn't moved anywhere despite how powerful the blizzard was. Rainbow Dash tried to focus on Nightmare, but every time her eyes hurt.

"ARGH!" Rainbow Dash yelled. "We won't be able to do anything at this rate. We have to get closer."

"I feel so cold!" Rarity yelled. "We're going to freeze here."

That made Applejack angry. "Well then let's walk towards Twilight!"

"WHAT?" was what other ponies said.

"Even I think that's crazy, Applejack!" Pinkie Pie said.

"Do you have any better ideas?" Applejack said.

It was then Rainbow Dash thought she heard something behind her. As she looked behind her she couldn't believe her eyes.

Fluttershy had begun to walk towards Nightmare and Twilight.

"Fluttershy, you all right?" Rainbow Dash asked.

Applejack, Rarity and Pinkie Pie managed to look at Fluttershy too.

"I'm… fine." Fluttershy said despite the beating she's had from the blizzard.

Applejack looked forward then, but she didn't close her eyes. "Let's save Twilight, everypony!"

"Move!" Rainbow Dash yelled as she also tried to move towards Nightmare and Twilight. "MOVE!"

The four ponies slowly began to walk towards Nightmare and Twilight along with Fluttershy.

Nightmare laughed at the sight. "What good do you think walking over here will accomplish? No matter. This little foal called Twilight Sparkle is already dead!"

"NO!" Rainbow Dash yelled. "She's still alive and she will be alive when we're through with you!"

"As Twilight's friends, we will do everything we can to save her." Rarity said.

"We promised Princess Celestia we'd save her and Ah always keep my promises." Applejack said.

"Twilight will still have many parties after this." Pinkie Pie said.

"She's the one that brought us all together." Fluttershy said, her voice sounding surprisingly loud. "We're all friends thanks to her."

"ENOUGH!" Nightmare yelled, causing a wave of energy hit the five ponies, stopping them in their tracks. "Everything you say makes me sick and angry! I think I'll end this NOW!"

Right then Twilight's heart was engulfed in black flames and slowly, to the other ponies' horror, began to disappear.

Twilight suddenly began screaming, startling Princess Celestia and Spike, but Princess Celestia knew what was going on and she embraced Twilight, giving her a hug.

"My dear Twilight…" Princess Celestia said, her tears running down her cheeks.

"NO!" Spike yelled.

"NO!" Applejack cried out as Twilight's heart had almost completely vanished.

"TWILIGHT!" Rainbow Dash yelled. "You have to wake up. Please, Twilight! Wake up!"

But there was no reaction.

Tears were forming in the ponies' eyes as she and the other ponies watched helplessly. For one final desperate attempt, they all cried out: "TWILIGHT!"

Right then, a light, mixed with various colors, lit the area up and engulfed the five ponies, the crystal and Twilight's heart.

In the darkness, crying could be heard.

"I'm… all alone." a voice said. "Nopony will ever forgive me. Not my parents, my big brother or Princess Celestia. I have nothing left. I should just…"

Five colorful lights suddenly shone brightly on the area.

"You're wrong, dear." a voice echoed. "You're not alone."

"Y'all have us." another voice echoed. "Friends who forgive y'all."

"Friends who will stay loyal to you no matter what." a third voice echoed.

"Friends who will play with you." a fourth, cheery voice echoed.

"Friends who will support you in times of trouble." a fifth voice echoed.

"We are here for you!"

Cracking sounds could be heard as the crystal began crack up.

"No…" Nightmare's voice echoed.

Slowly but surely, Twilight's heart opened her eyes and in a flash of light the crystal shattered to pieces and disappeared.

"NOOO~~!" was all Nightmare could yell before disappearing along with the crystal, its voice echoing around the area.

After the light died down, the five ponies opened their eyes, having closed them when the flash of light filled the area, and looked at Twilight's heart, which didn't move anywhere nor did anything.

"Umm… you okay?" asked Rainbow Dash.

There was no answer.

"Thank you, my little ponies."

All five ponies turned around and saw a familiar light shining in the darkness.

"You have saved us both miraculously." the spirit of Magic said.

"What happened and why isn't Twilight moving?" Rainbow Dash asked.

The spirit of Magic giggled. "That is Twilight's heart. It is not supposed to move. Just emit and give life to the one it beats for. As for what happened… well, let's just say that your determination and your friendship saved Twilight Sparkle and pulled her out of the nightmare."

"So she'll be a'right?" Applejack asked.

"Yes." was all the spirit of Magic said.

All five ponies cheered loudly.

"WOOHOO! This is fantastic!" Pinkie yelled.

"We did it, everypony!" Rainbow Dash said. "We did it."

But then Rarity stopped as she realized one thing. "Wait a moment. How are we going to get back?"

"Like this." was all the spirit of Magic said before all five ponies suddenly disappeared.

All was silent inside the library as Princess Celestia was just sitting on the floor, holding Twilight within her hooves, with Spike watching with sad eyes.

"Princess? Is she… … She's been quiet for a while now." Spike said.

Princess Celestia opened her eyes and looked at Twilight, seeing she looked calm. Tears fell down her own cheeks as she touched Twilight's head with her horn one more time. "Please, Twilight Sparkle… wake up." With her last effort, her horn glowed, enveloping Twilight with white aura.

Right then, the entire room was filled with bright light, surprising both Princess Celestia and Spike and forcing both of them to close their eyes. In just a few seconds the light died down. When Princess Celestia opened her eyes, she felt like her heart had just stopped as she saw Twilight Sparkle's eyes slightly open, looking at her.

"Everypony! You're awake!"

Princess Celestia looked at Spike in wonder and then turned to see the five ponies, wide awake and smiling. Princess Celestia could only shed tears of happiness at the sight.

"Did… did we do it, Princess?" Rainbow Dash managed to ask.

Princess Celestia only nodded, calming the five ponies, and turned to look at Twilight again.

"Princess Celestia…?" Twilight weakly said. "What…?"

Twilight was cut off as Princess Celestia suddenly hugged Twilight.

"Ssshh… You've being through a lot, my faithful student." Princess Celestia said.

Everyone was quiet for a while, glad that the whole ordeal was over. Twilight managed to turn her head towards library's broken door.

"Why's the library's door broken?" Twilight asked.

Everyone just laughed. Upstairs Princess Luna looked down at the others and smiled at the scene she saw.

The morning sun shone in the sky as many unicorns trained their magic in a hallway of Princess Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns. Suddenly double doors opened at one end of the hallway, revealing Princess Celestia herself. All of the unicorns bowed as they saw Princess Celestia coming their way, accompanied by her sister, Princess Luna, six ponies of which only two were unicorns and one was carrying a bouquet of flowers with magic and a baby dragon. When the unicorns lifted their heads, they saw the group heading towards the other end of the hallway.

Twilight Sparkle and the others followed Princess Celestia to a courtyard. Twilight looked both sad and nervous as she saw the courtyard in all its beauty. There were some unicorns here too, studying, but their heads turned to the group as they saw the royal pony sisters

"May I have your attention, please?" Princess Celestia said, her voice calm and clear, but loud enough to get every students' attention. "All students must leave the courtyard for an hour. Anypony who wishes to study during this time in peace can go to an empty classroom past the hallway."

All of the unicorn students obeyed without question and left the courtyard.

When all the students were gone, Twilight went to the center of the courtyard, carrying the bouquet of flowers, and stopped. "Here's where it happened."

The others stayed quiet, looking at Twilight.

"This is where the worst moment of my entire life happened." Twilight continued. "Do you remember that day, Princess Celestia? The day when I lost control of my magic?"

Princess Celestia took a few steps toward Twilight. "Yes, I do remember, Twilight Sparkle. I also remember that it wasn't your fault."

Twilight was quiet for a while. "Maybe not, but I never forgot what I did back then. It has haunted me to this day."

"Wha happened, Twi?" Applejack asked as she went closer to Twilight.

Twilight lowered her head.

**Flashback**

I had just settled down after getting this school thanks to Princess Celestia. But other unicorns heard how I got in and were… kind of jealous of me, I guess, being Princess' protégé and all. One unicorn was especially jealous. She soon confronted me right here in this courtyard when it was empty, boasted about a lot of things, but not like Trixie. Her accomplishments were very real, but when I just ignored her, trying to study, things got messy then. She used her magic on me, tried to provoke me to attack her. I didn't fall for it at first, but when she didn't show any signs of stopping, my patience ran out and… I lost control just like during my entrance exam.

When I calmed down, the sight I saw was horrible. That unicorn was badly hurt. The teachers had sensed me and came to check what was going on. They immediately took the unicorn to the infirmary. I couldn't say anything to them. It was then when Princess Celestia came and asked me what had happened. Of course I told her everything. The teachers wanted to expel me for doing such a thing, but Princess Celestia disagreed and mentioned what had happened during the entrance exam. The teachers only gave me a warning then.

**End of flashback**

"On that day, I learned that I really had strong magic in me and that I was responsible for it. It had to be controlled and used wisely." Twilight continued. "It never happened again after that, but the experience made me fear my own power, fear what other thought about me."

There was silence for a moment.

"What happened to that unicorn, Twilight?" Rainbow Dash asked.

Twilight didn't answer. Instead Princess Celestia turned to see Rainbow Dash. "That unicorn is fine, Rainbow Dash. She ranked high here in school and took a job here afterwards as a teacher. She was second only to Twilight Sparkle. However, the incident did leave its mark on her."

Right then doors opened up again, making everyone, including Twilight to turn around. The pony they saw had a black coat and white colored mane and tail. As the unicorn mare came closer, the other ponies could see that there was an eye patch on her right eye and her cutie mark was a shining wand.

"It has been a long time, Twilight Sparkle." The unicorn said.

"Indeed it has been." Twilight said rather sadly. "I won't take much of your time. I just… wanted to apologize to you for what I did to you that day."

The unicorn was silent for a while. Then, to everyone's surprise, giggled. "Is that what this is about, Twilight, I've already moved past that. I don't hold any grudges that you put out one of my eyes that day. I think I actually deserved it. And the nurses were able to heal me of the other wounds."

"Still, I'm sorry." Twilight said as she gave the bouquet of flowers to the unicorn. "I've felt horrible every day ever since that incident."

The unicorn took the bouquet with her magic. "Twilight, you don't need to feel bad about it."

"I lost control of my magic and you got hurt." Twilight said. "I was lucky I was allowed to stay here after that. I studied so much about magic so that something like that would never happen again."

"While that's good and all, you really don't need to feel bad about that day, Twilight." the unicorn said. "I was just so jealous of you and I pushed you too far. If I hadn't done that I wouldn't have lost my eye. I should be the one to ask forgiveness from you."

Twilight lowered her head, looking sad.

"You need to learn to let go of the past, Twilight." the unicorn said. "What happened between you and me cannot be changed. All we can do is learn from our mistakes." She then went and gave Twilight a hug. "And I see we both have. Let it go, Twilight."

As the others listened and watched quietly at the scene, Pinkie obviously having trouble keeping quiet as she smile widely, Twilight closed her eyes and returned the hug.

Nighttime was about to start in Equestria as Princess Celestia went to the balcony to lower te sun. Before she could, however, she heard a knock at the door.

"Come in." Princess Celestia said as she turned to look at the door.

The door opened and revealed Princess Luna.

"Ah, my beloved sister. I was just about to lower the sun." Princess Celestia said.

"Before you do that, dear sister, may I ask something?" Princess Luna said.

"Anything, dear Luna."

"Is Twilight Sparkle... so important to you?" Princess Luna asked. "I noticed back at the treebrary that you treat her like she was your own foal."

Princess Celestia stayed quiet for a while before turning around to see the sun, smiling all the time. "Well, dear sister, Twilight was, in a way, raised by me, but she does have her own parents. You should know that."

"I do, dear sister, but to go for such lengths for your personal student... You were ready to throw your life away if Twilight Sparkle had died."

Again Princess Celestia was silent for a moment. "Yes, dear Luna, and I would do it again. Because Twilight Sparkle... will change Equestria in ways even we could never do."

"What do you mean, dear sister?" Princess Luna asked. "How will Twilight Sparkle change Equestria?"

Princess Celestia didn't answer. Instead she closed her eyes as her horn began glow golden light. In the horizon the sun descended and disappeared out of view. "It's time to raise the moon, my dear Luna." She turned around and went to her bed.

"Wait, dear Tia..." Princess Luna started, but couldn't continue as she saw Princess Celestia lying on her bed. Princess Luna turned around and went to the balcony. She closed her eyes as her horn began glow dark blue light. Within seconds, the moon rose in the horizon.

"Goodnight, dear sister."

**The End**


End file.
